A Chance Encounter
by bettercrazythanboring
Summary: AU Bolinora in which Bolin never met Jinora or anyone he didn't know prior to the series . Inspired by PLL's Ezria. Reviews and constructive criticism very much appreciated!
1. A Chance Encounter

Jinora had seen a lot in her sixteen years. Having been blessed with a stable, loving family and a good head on her shoulders, life offered her many opportunities and she was eager to take them. She spent hours every day soaking up the knowledge the world had to offer and practicing the ways of her ancestors, reveling in the beauty and wonders around her.

She could never understand how anyone could be unable to appreciate the art of bending, meditation, how history was just ignored. All of that was part of her heritage as one of the only airbenders in the world and she wore it proudly.

Jinora had just returned from year-long trip around the world – spending time in the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, both Water Tribes and finding her spiritual roots in the four abandoned Air Temples – and was getting ready for her enrollment in the Academy of United Bending, a new and elite advanced bending university she had worked long and hard to get into, still barely succeeding because as the only airbender there, her curriculum would have to be painstakingly unique.

It was an experimental program that showed great promise in her opinion – benders of all elements coming together and sharing their ways and moves to take the best of all worlds and create a new kind of bending where a bender could manipulate their element to bend the others to some extent. The Avatar could usually bend two elements at once to create new sorts of bending like lava and snow, but the first recorded instance of a regular bender using the knowledge of another nation to enhance his own bending was Fire Lord Zuko's uncle Iroh, who observed waterbenders and created a new technique of lightning redirection from the way they moved. Such practices were becoming more common in Republic City where people of all nations lived together instead of being scattered around the globe, so a few years ago the new school had opened.

The next day would be her first day of class, so tonight she wanted to spend a few moments alone, reflecting on the future, reading a good book at her favorite bar.

It was mostly empty – a guy in the corner, a girl at a table, a guy at the counter and the bartender behind it -, just the way Jinora liked it. She ordered her favorite dish, Water Tribe Noodles and opened up her romance novel on the counter, briefly feeling a twinge in her heart when the noodles reminded her of Korra, her Water Tribe honorary sister/grandfather/best friend whom she hadn't seen in two years due to them never being in the same place at the same time.

"Hey, you all right down there?" the guy two stools over asked over his own book.

"I'm a bit weary," Jinora answered, unable to decide whether she wanted to spend the evening completely alone or was burning to talk to a stranger she'd never see again, "I just got back from the Earth Kingdom and I did _not_ take the fastest route."

"Where in the Earth Kingdom?" he asked, his green eyes lighting up with interest.

"Omashu."

"Oh. The farthest out I've ever been is Ba Sing Se. I've always wanted to go, though. My grandfather lived in Omashu. It's a great city."

"It is. I had a wonderful time there. So, you're an earthbender?" she asked, noticing the book he was reading, a fairly comprehensive list of earthbending moves that she herself had read a few weeks ago.

"Oh, yeah. I'm about start my first teaching job; trying to cram so I don't make a complete fool out of myself."

"I think I'd like to teach. But being an airbender, the only ones I can really teach are my siblings."

"Unless you get a job at AUB. I'm sure they'd be thrilled to get an airbender on staff."

"Maybe one day. For now I'll just concentrate on my... studies."

"What are you studying?"

"I'm currently very interested in the history of earthbending and how the mentality, environment and upbringing of a bender influences their abilities and subcategory direction they're likely to take; I wrote a thesis on that subject recently. Have you ever noticed how those who've spent their lives in a single, stable place usually end up in traditional unmovable, heavy bending while those who've been uprooted multiple times take up the lighter, more flexible styles and those who have trouble fitting in have a drive for metalbending?"

"No, I never thought that far into it. To be honest, for me bending's just always been... there. I didn't really brush up on Earth Kingdom history until recently; I guess I never needed to here in Republic City. You got me spot on, though."

"Yeah? Which of the three?"

"Oh, no, I'm not letting your superb psychological analytical skills anywhere near me," he said, laughing with hands up. At her smile, he paused and moved to a closer stool, "But I'd love to read the whole thing, for what it's worth. If it's available to the public, of course."

"You'd want to?"

"Are you kidding? If I weren't such a gentleman, I'd have have ripped it out from wherever you're keeping it and be halfway through it already to shamelessly use in my upcoming lessons," he joked, flashing a smile.

"You could still use them, you know. If you wanted to."

"Yeah?"

"It wasn't written for anyone in particular, but I imagine an earthbending teacher would be the perfect exposure."

"I might have to take you up on that, then."

"There's no guarantee you'll like what you see, though."

"Well, I'm liking it so far."

Pause.

"The roots and bending type thing, I mean," he continued with a direct stare, "You're smart, you've traveled, you've got great taste in food," he added, pointing to his own bowl of noodles, "I can't imagine I wouldn't like what I see."

"You don't seem quite so bad yourself. Tell me, how does a guy from Republic City who has no connection to his ancestors' bending end up teaching it?"

"The guy spends hours every day training and practicing the craft for years on end, concentrating on survival instead of outdated mentality. He gets pretty good at it, has connections, learns a few tricks and gets hired to teach the physical side."

"As opposed to earthbending teachers who only focus on the spiritual side?"

"Yes. Although, truth be told, we don't really have that many spiritual people. I think there's a reason our last Avatar was out for blood instead of peace at all cost."

"The same way Avatar Aang wouldn't kill even the most dangerous man in the world."

"Exactly. There's a certain spectrum of balance between spirituality and brute strength," he continued, "but that spectrum is different for each nation. For example, I think our spiritual teachers are probably more physical than your physical teachers. Or they would be, if you had any. Do you have any?"

"Oh, no. Unless you count Korra, of course. But her 'brute strength', as you called it, applies only to the other three elements, never to airbending."

"You know Avatar Korra?" he asked, visibly impressed.

"She's one of my best friends. I miss her. But yeah, I agree about the spectrums all being on a giant spectrum in different places. It seems earth and air are natural opposites and their benders are by extension as well."

"You know what they say?"

"What?"

"Opposites attract." He grinned. "I'd like to know more about you, Airbender Girl."

She smiled and scooped up the last of her noodles.

"I'd like to know more about you, too."

They eventually ended the night in a bathroom, lips locked in a passionate embrace with little thought to whomever might interrupt, and, _spirits,_ it was glorious. His hands were tangled in her hair, her legs long since wrapped around his waist, finding balance on the sink. He could see her back in the mirror behind them, not failing to notice how it arched when he found a particular spot below her ear. They continued exploring each other for what felt like hours, Jinora's only thought being how glad she was she'd decided to go out that night.

She'd had many relationships of various seriousness in the last few years, even traveled for a few months alongside a boy from the Fire Nation, but she'd never taken any of them seriously – not the boys, not the relationships. In time Jinora had come to the conclusion that men her age bored her. They seemed to be utterly interested in pointless things, doing immature things and not thinking before opening their mouths. She'd realized she'd much rather spend her time immersed in her books and her studies than waste another moment in a relationship so colossally not meeting her standards.

She _hadn't_ come to the bar tonight to meet anyone. Her sweep of the place had _only_ served to reassure her it wouldn't be noisy. When she'd decided to answer the earthbender, it was _purely_ out of need to vent.

But now, with her fingers combing through his shockingly thick hair and her lips intimately acquainting themselves with his, she decided she might not be averse to a relationship with this one. He certainly seemed... mature enough. The kind of person whom she could have an intelligent discussion with, perhaps a playful argument about insignificant nothings before going on an adventure in the moonlight and then ravaging each other beneath the stars. At this point she was fairly sure he'd be good at ravaging her.

It was at that moment she realized he still hadn't told her his name, nor she hers to him.

With a small chuckle she did her best to ignore the fantasies of some future hidden behind a thick veil of mystery and simply concentrated on biting his lip.

**SCENE BREAK**

The next morning she woke up hours too early, heart racing from a dream about the previous night. Thankfully, when they'd parted, the couple had had the sense to exchange contact information, so she knew she'd be able to see him soon... if she chose to. Which, at this particular moment, seemed to be the likely option.

Some small part of her realized that it would probably be unwise to become all gooey-eyed and mushy-hearted right as school started, the goal she'd been working towards for a long time, but most of her just relived the experience, slightly convinced that all work and no play couldn't possibly be good for the soul or the spirit.

Jinora was all about souls and spirituality.

When the time finally came to enter her new home away from home, which would be such for the next two years, her heart now was galloping for a different reason. Bending was Jinora's one true passion, as was the history of the nations and ancient practices and origins; being away for a year had only made it more pronounced. As the last leg of her journey, a whole five months, had been in the Earth Kingdom, she couldn't wait to get started on the earthbending. She'd already learned to cut through rock with sharp, concentrated gusts of wind much like her grandmother used water to cut through wood and she was practicing tiny waves of sharp air that would produce dust/sand from a solid material that she could then airbend, but this school was sure to take her teachings to a whole new level. Earthbenders making fire through rubbing rocks against each other, waterbenders lifting heavy objects with nets made out of water, firebeners using fire to make air... that was only the beginning and Jinora could not wait.

Of course, the earthbending lesson she was about to take made her briefly think of Bolin, the guy from the bar, which in turn put a smile on her face perhaps not directly related to the class. Still distracted, she barely even registered the voice that soon started speaking from the front of the class.

"All right, people, let's get down to business," the teacher started, "I've never taught before, but I'm quite good at the bending, so bear with me, mmkay? First up, my brother's a firebender so we've spent our entire lives training together and sharing secrets and the like and- holy crap," he cut off in a gaspy, slightly high-pitched tone. Jinora looked up, ripped from her trance to find Bolin staring right at her as if he'd just stepped out of her fantasies, except the Bolin in her fantasies never wore that expression of shock and fear. And confusion.

_Oh crap_ indeed.

"You... were saying?" she broke the pregnant pause, conscious of a dozen eyes on her.

"Uh... right. I was not expecting an airbender in this class, that's all. The dean must have forgotten to inform me..." he trailed off, tapping his fingers on the wall awkwardly.

Well, at least that cover story made sense.

"So, uh... as I was saying, my brother and I were always a team," he continued, "which, uh, made our bending more alike than, erm, is typical and as such, I suppose I'm a pretty good choice for a teacher. If I actually manage to explain anything," he said, earning a few chuckles from the class, "So, let's introduce ourselves first, all right?"

The next two hours were simultaneously endless and lightning-fast for both Bolin and Jinora, who had to pay attention to the others when all they wanted to do was talk to each other. Stolen glances, fidgety extremities, a sheen of sweat... an observer less casual than her classmates would surely know something was wrong.

Jinora had been so excited about today, but she barely heard a word of what was going on around her; she was too busy watching Bolin and trying to readjust her perception of him from the staggeringly handsome guy with a mouth of gold, a pocket full of bad jokes and a rear full of swag who made her feel a pull in her belly to an authority figure she was supposed to respect and learn from and look up to.

How could she look up to someone she considered her equal in the best possible way?

Bolin, however, was having trouble even thinking of treating this mature girl who was passionate and quite possibly knew more about what he was teaching than he himself did and whom he'd gotten fairly inappropriate with as someone to guide and look down on... enforce power on.

How could he treat her like a mere student when they were not just equals, but she might very well be high above him?

Neither knew the answer.

At last, the day's introductory class was over and Jinora stayed behind under the guise of her individual curriculum.

"So..." he started.

"So."

Oh, the awkwardness.

"When you said 'studying', I didn't realize..."

"Yeah, me neither. When, uh, you said 'teaching'."

"Right."

"Yeah."

"Just so you know, uh, last night was..." He shook his head in wonder.

"I know what you mean," Jinora agreed, chuckling to herself, "But it's over, right?" She looked him directly in the eyes.

"Honestly, I don't see how it can't be."

Somehow, even after knowing each other for such a short while, they could read the other's expression perfectly. It was made easier by the fact they were both identical – a mix of regret, heartbreak, desire and wishing.

"I worked very hard to get in here," Jinora said, as if needing a reminder why pursuing him would be a terrible idea.

"I beat out many people to get this job," Bolin said, feeling the same.

"So..." She swallowed. "We never speak of this again."

"No one has to know," he agreed, "And we'll just... pretend?"

"I guess. Goodbye... Sifu Bolin."

His eyes twitched a little at that and he turned away as she left.

_Damn it_. He kicked the wall and then punched it and then headbutted it, leaving holes wherever his body touched it... without using bending.

"Are you okay? I heard-" Jinora peered in from where she'd been standing against the wall outside and cut off, seeing his bloody fists. Bolin whirled around, trying to hide the blood without much success.

"I'm fine. Go," he urged, slightly ashamed.

"I can fix that up for you. Waterbenders might get the healing, but we got the soothing and sterilizing."

"I..." He sighed. "I guess it would be pretty hard to explain that to the nurse."

Jinora tentatively entered, ready to work her magic of knowledge, but the moment her hands touched his, it was like the whole world crashed around them and only sparks were left. Her heart skipped a beat and blood started flowing more rapidly from his bruised knuckles; the tension was almost thick enough to cut through.

It took only seconds for them to be in each other's arms again, kissing like the fate of the human race depended on it. Jinora scolded herself for giving up so soon in between breaths, but deep down she knew it couldn't be helped. Sooner or later, she wouldn't be able to take it and maybe it was better now than in crowded, uncontrollable situations in the future.

Maybe.

Minutes passed and Bolin was starting to get worried about someone seeing, so with a great deal of willpower, he broke away from her lips, staring into her brown eyes as they both tried to regain their breath.

"Where do we go from here?"


	2. Where From Here

It was past midnight and the stars were shining as if this was their last day.

Jinora stared up at them as she often did, looking for answers. She had never believed in astrology or fortune telling, but as an airbender - who was quite adept at flying, might she add -, there weren't many places in this world she couldn't reach. As such, faraway planets and stars she had no hope of every seeing in person held a draw she couldn't exactly describe.

There was something so frustratingly and yet reassuringly mysterious about the unknown. She always wanted to know the answers, the thousands of books she'd read could attest to that, but sometimes she liked the thought that in some cases there were no answers to be found. She would never know what the stars looked up close, never know how long they had been there before their eventual and inevitable demise, never know if there was life on other planets. And in moments like this, when she was terrifyingly confused and lost and not having any answers at all, the great big unknown universe reminded her that there were aspects of her own self she had not yet known about. And maybe some things, such as why she was so inexplicably attracted both physically and emotionally to her ___teacher_of all people, were better left a mystery for the answer could be too complex to comprehend.

So she looked up, forgetting about sleep, and wished she knew what to do.

It was hard to believe they had only met less than thirty hours ago. Already he was in her every thought, his face behind her eyelids every time she closed her eyes. She had no doubt she would be dreaming of him when she eventually went to bed. On some level she realized it was all ridiculous. A few hours of interesting, thought-provoking conversation, a very enjoyable session of kissing and already she was willing to risk her hard-earned education for him? She barely knew the man; it was preposterous, really. But it didn't stop her from feeling the way she felt – absolutely terrified of the next day when she would have to pretend for another two hours that she didn't know what his lips tasted like or where he'd gotten a tiny scar on his neck or how many weeks he'd spent working for a gang. And pretend her heart wasn't on a trampoline every time she laid eyes on him.

Dear Agni, was this what infatuation felt like? She'd always heard of her fellow teenagers becoming enamored with their peers or famous personalities or older, completely off-limits people and she had always looked down on the emotion, convinced that controlling one's emotions was easier than blowing up a balloon – extremely easy, in other words. "The heart wants what the heart wants," they always said. It was a proverb widely used and utterly meaningless as far as Jinora was concerned, serving only those who sought to justify their indiscretions and hurtful behavior.

But now there was no denying that she had lost whatever control she had and everything she thought she'd known herself was to be questioned. It was not a position Jinora was accustomed to being in and several times that day she'd wished the feelings would go away. They could only bring trouble and her schoolwork was important, dammit. Too important to screw up over some guy.

But then, of course, his face – with the bright green eyes that looked like endless meadows and the adorable nose and the stray lock of hair that looked ridiculously handsome even as the need to sweep it back drove her mad – popped into her head and she could no longer fathom not wanting to be with him.

Oh, she was going in circles. This was no use. Surely her time could be better spent than worrying and stressing over something she sadly had no control over. A battle plan or her studies or, throwing a crazy idea in there, _sleeping_. At this point it was fairy clear the infatuation wasn't going anywhere and she was much too weak and, surprisingly, inexperienced to resist acting on it, so what was the point of thinking about it further?

She needed a plan to sneak around with him undetected. Because discretion was essential, as any decent romance novel reader would know. They'd need a cover story and codewords and maybe someone who knew, whom they could confide in? Her parents were off limits, of course, and Ikki wouldn't understand, but Korra could be persuaded. Maybe. And they'd need a safe place to meet away from prying eyes and- Oh spirits, she had gone from poster child to sneaking around with professors in less than twenty four hours.

Jinora was in dire need of a drink, and not lychee juice.

On the way to get some from her mother's personal stack, she saw the phone and on impulse drew out the napkin she'd been holding all night that had Bolin's number on it. It was stupid and it was silly and he was probably asleep, but...

She dialed carefully and waited, heart racing. After the second ring she nearly hung up, scolding herself for her immaturity, but he picked up at the last moment.

"Hello?" said Bolin, voice less groggy than she'd expected.

"Um, hi. I'm sorry if I woke you."

"No, it's okay, I haven't gone to sleep yet. What's up? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm... fine. I don't really know why I was calling. I don't actually have anything of value to say. I'll go now."

"Wait, hey, don't leave. As long as you did call... maybe you have something insignificant to say?"

Jinora smiled. "I'm craving alcohol at this very moment."

"Ah. Well, normally I wouldn't recommend it, especially on a weekday, but given that I have a glass of bourbon in my hand right now, bring it on. We can drink together."

"You know what, that sounds like a plan. Hold on while I get mine from the other room."

She tiptoed through the house, careful not to wake the slumbering inhabitants and selected a bottle of red wine from her mother's cabinet. She wouldn't mind. She rarely ever looked there. And Jinora could have the bottle replaced within a few days.

Having grabbed an elegant little glass from the other cabinet, she tiptoed back to the phone, uncorking the bottle with airbending as quietly as she could.

"All right, I'm back. Here's to doomed romance!" she said, raising her glass.

"Yup, sounds appropriate. So what are you doing up this late?"

"Same as you, I imagine. I doubt it's a coincidence we're both drinking at this particular time on this particular day."

"Touche. You know, part of me hoped you'd have your priorities straight. It would just be so much easier if one of us had their priorities straight. Or just wasn't interested."

"Oh yes. Apparently girls crushing on their teachers is no rarity, but never act on them. I could have a crush. I think I'd be capable of that."

"The same way I would never in a million years show it if I got attracted to a student. Boy, this is a mess."

"Speaking of which, this is so weird. Here I am, talking to a teacher at one in the morning who is not only aware I'm consuming adult beverages and not stopping me, but is consuming them alongside with me. It's not really a situation I ever thought I'd get myself into. I'm home-schooled, but I don't think this is very normal."

"Well, I've never gone to any official school either, high five there, but I'm led to believe that no, it's not," he agreed, then sighed, "I wish I could see you right now."

"Well, with my glider, I could be wherever you live in five minutes," Jinora offered.

"I don't think that'd be a good idea. I'm quickly approaching the state of being drunk and you fon't strike me as the kind of girl who's had a lot of experience handling... what are you drinking anyway?"

"Red wine. The finest my personal bar had to offer. What? You can get plastered and go about it elegantly at the same time," she defended against his snicker.

"Well, in any case, we could wind up doing something we'd regret later. I think the wisest thing would be to just go to bed."

"Or... you could tell me a story, Bolin."

* * *

He'd never thought of himself as particularly indulgent. Life had taught him that usually when one wanted something, it was either so hard to get as to not be worth the trouble or unattainable altogether. It was a truth he'd learned early on when living on the streets and it applied to nearly everything, from food to entertainment to education. Wants had to be sacrificed in order to satisfy the needs. And those rare times when something was, in fact, worth the trouble, getting it was always a hard journey – the probending championship, the internship with Lin Beifong, this job... all of those had been earned with sweat, tears and blood.

Bolin knew he had to fight for what he truly wanted and it still wouldn't be easy. At the moment he felt like he wanted Jinora. Very much so, indeed. She was probably not something he was supposed to want... but then, six years wasn't all that big an age difference when you thought about it; rumor had it her parents had twice as much between them if not more. No, age wasn't an issue, especially not when she was so mature for her age (which was already adult in Republic City) and he was still stuck in the childhood he never got to experience.

The problem was their positions relative to each other and thus came the question: was she worth it? Pursuing any kind of relationship with a student was inconvenient due to secrecy, career-damaging if found out and potentially life-threatening if her father caught wind of it (he had quite a reputation). Realistically speaking, he'd only known the girl for just over a day. How could he possibly consider risking everything he'd worked so long to get for someone he'd just met?

Well, he didn't know how it was possible, but he was seriously considering it. Maybe he should talk to Mako. Not that he had that good of a record with ladies, but he had a history of talking his brother out of bad ideas. Maybe he'd at least slap some sense into Bolin. Too bad he was in another nation.

The nearly drunk earthbender listened to Jinora talk about some Water Tribe issue in an even more scholarly way under the influence than what he'd come to expect and couldn't help but think that maybe the reason he couldn't get her out of his mind, why he continued to entertain the ridiculous thought of being with Jinora in some way was because somehow, in a convoluted twist by fate, they were meant to be. Some sort of test to see if the were worthy of each other. What if there was one single person meant for everyone and they met in the most inconvenient way possible and if they did not manage to make it work at that moment, then true love was gone forever?

It was most likely wishful thinking brought on by the bottle he held in his hand, but it was nice to pretend for a while. Attribute his own confusion and lack of willpower to fate and the gods to somehow justify it.

It's not that there was anything to justify, exactly. It wasn't _wrong._ He was sure once their time together at AUB was over no one would bat an eyelash if they saw them together in public, holding hands and whatnot. Just... badly timed. Because he wasn't sure he'd be able to wait two years. And judging from the way Jinora sounded, neither was she.

Oh, what a big mess they had gotten themselves into.

"So I've been thinking," she said after a moment of silence about two hours into their conversation, "About our problem, I mean. You have feelings for me, I have feelings for you; they are undesirable and stress-inducing and very hard not to act on, right?"

"Seems pretty accurate so far."

"Well, why don't we just make them go away?"

"I don't think there's a switch for that."

"No, I mean, spending time together so much we're sick of each other, sharing the most terrifying, disgusting secrets, becoming aware of the worst habits, personality traits that just don't mesh - that kinda stuff. Find the dealbreaker that makes us both flee and we're good to go! The classes would probably be a little awkward, but they'll get less frequent with time – I checked – and it's not the first time people in a room don't get along."

"That's quite a brilliant plan you've hatched there... wait, you did it all while drinking wine? How in blazes did you manage that?"

"Hell if I know. So what do you think?"

"Not sure. If it works, then great, I suppose, but what if there is no dealbreaker?"

"There's _always_ a dealbreaker, whether people find it a day or fifty years into a relationship."

"That's... cynical."

"It's realistic. My father's first marriage disintegrated after twenty years together. The couples who are together until death aren't always happy, but even if they are... well, let's just say that just because a dealbreaker hasn't been found doesn't mean it's not there."

"First time for everything?"

"Doubtful. But even then... high-risk, high-reward. I like those odds, baby. So are you in?"

"Bring it on."

* * *

They met back in the bar the next afternoon (after another tension-filled class), ready to grab the bull by the horns and make things awkward. Jinora was almost enthusiastic about it; as much as she liked Bolin, she was unaccustomed to having these thoughts all the time and such a drastic shift from her normal existence to that was more than a little unsettling. In addition, she really did love social experiment. Another paper might be on the horizon, if they were successful. Anonymous, of course.

"So where do we start?" she asked with a little sparkle in her eye once they had settled themselves into a table in the corner, out of sight.

"It was your idea. I'm given to understand we share everything and don't hold back at all?"

"You know, it might be a good thing to start with the small stuff and then ease into the skeletons of the closet, but yeah, that's the gist of it. By the end we should know each other nearly as well as we do ourselves and since people are rarely ever happy with every aspect of who they are..."

"Sure, sure. Everyone has moments with themselves they're frustrated or disgusted by. Seems very intimate, though. Knowing each other as well as ourselves."

"Sacrifices must be made for every good cause," Jinora said with a small smile, eyes still sparkling.

"How are you not hungover?"

"Oh, airbenders have a ridiculously high tolerance. I haven't investigated why yet."

"You'll probably get to that eventually."

"Probably," she agreed.

"So I guess I should start. Ehh, I grew up on the streets with my brother Mako,..." Bolin began, detailing all the odd, sometimes not strictly legal jobs they'd worked on through the years, leaving no unpleasant part of being a street rat out before giving Jinora her turn of confession about her childhood, the way she'd often get frustrated with her siblings or the Air Acolytes, how she had always hated being the oldest child, the first heir to the airbending family to whom responsibility of repopulation would fall first... how she had always held herself a smidgen higher than everyone else because of the way she'd been brought up.

While she was talking and looking at Bolin's avid interest in her words, she couldn't help but think this wasn't exactly what she had in mind. His story about dumpster-diving and sometimes resorting to stealing should have made her cringe. Or have some other reaction besides immediate and total admiration for the guy who had picked himself up from a difficult start and made himself into... well, who he was. At the same time, he wasn't supposed to be so fascinated by her tales of self-loathing and privilege and perception of others that didn't speak too kindly of her. He wasn't supposed to feel sympathy or have his eyes tighten in concern over her stories of a childhood that was not, by any rational means, harsh.

Oh, this wasn't working.

In the end, what they learned that day only ended up bringing the couple closer to figuring out which buttons made them tick and although Bolin and Jinora both agreed to continue the oversharing, they still ended up in the bathroom, same position as before, bodies intertwined and lips interlocked.

For the first time in a long time Jinora wondered whether she could actually be wrong about something. That something being the possibility she could ever not feel attracted to him, either physically or emotionally.


	3. The Family

Two weeks of late-night phone calls, filterless conversations in the bar and desperate attempts to avoid eye contact in class had gone by since Bolin and Jinora's first encounter. Two weeks of hidden makeout sessions and fear they could be found out... two weeks in which they had not yet gotten sick of each other.

Worse than that, both were secretly starting to suspect that they were falling in love. They had been sharing all the unpleasant secrets every day, but somehow instead of disgusting each other, they merely got a better understanding of one another. As they recounted all the tales, their personalities shined through. The most horrible parts of Bolin's history were told with a light tone and a joke or two in between, giving Jinora a balanced mix of both the past and the present, which somehow canceled each other out. Her tales had a dash of self-deprecation and a whole lot of sarcasm in them, showing off a vibe that one might consider lampshading. It was a dangerous thing they were doing because each new day had only brought them closer; slowly, the ticks and buttons were found out, the puzzle pieces put into in the whole and a clearer view of the person emerged with every passing conversation.

Neither of them were certain at this point whether they even wanted to find the dealbreaker.

It was the logical thing to do, of course, but the thought of losing the other was getting more and more unbearable. In such a short time they had shared more than with anyone else; it was quite frightening, really. To put that trust in someone knowing that if the dealbreaker was found, they could turn on you. However, the side effect of it was that for the first time in their lives they could say with certainty that someone liked them for who they really were – flawed, moody, inconsistent, selfish, egotistical -, warts and all, instead of the face they showed to the world which was only half-accurate.

The more they shared, the more they realized how well they were suited for each other – different enough to complement each other yet not so opposite to not have anything in common. In fact, they had a great deal in common - from athletic interests to views on bending to the same pet peeves -, so much that they were quietly wondering whether the other wasn't just going along with whatever the first said.

This wasn't some flirtatious fling; this was quickly approaching serious soulmate I-could-see-myself-waking-up-next-this-person-every-morning-of-my-life kind of love. Maybe a little too quickly for comfort.

And of course neither of them shared their feelings with the other. They were supposed to find the dealbreaker, dammit, not fall head over heels. And as sure of their feelings as the pair had been in the beginning, this was a more delicate subject. It didn't matter that they ended up kissing in the most inconvenient places or that both had gotten a fairly frequent starring role in the other's dreams and hearts skipped beats at certain thoughts and looks, they could pretend it was all physical and that knowing the worst was working. For each other. Pretending was good.

That is, until the afternoon of their fifteenth day together when Jinora's little sister Ikki walked into the bar looking for her and saw the couple laughing at each other over some pictures laid out on the table and making googly eyes at each other that would have been obvious even to blind people.

"Hey," she said to the bartender she'd known for years, not taking eyes off her sister, "Do you have any idea who that is?" she nodded towards Bolin.

"Not a clue," he said, polishing his glasses, "but the pair have been coming here every day for the past couple o' weeks, so I'd wager he's Jinora's boyfriend. Can't keep their hands off each other too," the elderly man chuckled, "Ah, young love. What I wouldn't give to meet a dame who looked at me like that."

"Huh," Ikki mused, "Excuse me, I have to go introduce myself."

The thirteen-year-old took a deep breath and ran over to the table, startling both who were sitting there and enjoying the horror and blush on Jinora's face.

"Hello, dear sister; I see you're enjoying the company of a male person you seem to be in a relationship with. Care to introduce me?" she asked, turning to Bolin, who, she had to admit, was very handsome.

"I, uh..." he stammered, caught completely off-guard and looked to Jinora for help.

"Um, Ikki this is... Mako. My boyfriend," she said, ignoring his expression at that particular name, "Mako, this is my sister Ikki."

"Hello." He smiled weakly.

"You look old. How old are you? Are you two in love? Will you come to dinner on the island tomorrow night? Are you afraid of my dad? Do you have any secrets? What do you use to style your hair? Can I touch your nose?"

"I- what?"

"Ikki," Jinora intervened, "Remember how we talked about boundaries? This would be the time to put that conversation to use."

"Oh, fine. But you're coming to dinner anyway; no excuses. I'll call Daddy right now. See ya later, sis!"

With that, Ikki was out the door and down the street while Jinora and Bolin stared at each other with fear-stricken faces.

"Was she serious?"

"Ikki is never not serious about events."

"Mako?"

"Sorry. That was the first thing that came to mind."

"He's a firebender, Jinora. In case you haven't noticed, my eyes are green."

"Believe me, I've noticed. But they don't know he's a firebender. If worse comes to worst, I can claim you and 'Bolin' are twin brothers. Or something."

"Oh sure. Great. So should I just casually throw that into the conversation or...?"

"Hopefully it won't be needed. My father doesn't visit the AUB much. But you can mention you have a brother. Just in case."

"Uh huh."

"And while we're at it, can we shave three or four years off your age?"

"What?" he squeaked.

"Look, I'll be however old you need me to be when I meet someone on your side, but my father can be fiercely protective. Doesn't matter that he's sixteen years older than my mother, he's going to explode if he finds out you're twenty-two. Please, just... be nineteen?" she pleaded, even doing the turtleduck eyes.

"Oh, fine. How did we meet?"

If he was gonna make a cover story, he would commit.

"Um... I bumped into you in the street on my first day of class?"

"That's too cliché. He'll never believe that."

"It's just cliché enough that he will."

"You think?"

"I think."

"Well, you know him better than I do. Have we kissed?"

She had to think long and hard about that.

"A couple of pecks, nothing too steamy."

"Okay. Wanna go have a steamy makeout session in the bathroom?"

"Yes, I'd love to."

The bartender shook his head at the two of them sneaking off again and wondered if he should reserve a special stall just for them.

* * *

"Don't be nervous," Jinora said, adjusting his collar and trying to ignore her own trembling fingers, "It's going to be fine. We're gonna be fine. You know, my family's fairly civil," she said, more to herself than him, "Most of the time. They're going to like you. You're very likable, you know?"

"Jin, you're rambling."

"Yes, uh, hmm. Let's go in, shall we?"

The main dining table was all set and, to Bolin's surprise, her family weren't the only people in the room; dozens of Air Acolytes were scattered about, just settling down on some of the many tables Somehow he'd gotten the impression they would be alone.

Well, at least the Acolytes could be used as witnesses.

They cautiously made their way to her family's table, stopping just far enough for everyone to get a good look. Ikki was grinning hugely, Meelo stared Bolin down from head to toe suspiciously, Rohan was more interested in playing with his peas, Tenzin was sizing Bolin up with a glare of sorts and Pema... Pema was smiling reassuringly. As in "welcome".

Bolin decided he liked Pema then and there.

They sat down in between Ikki and Meelo and were immediately bombarded with questions by the kids while Tenzin was glaring at his wife.

"Who is that?"

"He is Jinora's boyfriend, honey," Pema said, moving her peas around with a fork, "He will be dining with us and you will not make a big deal out of it."

"Big deal? It is a big deal," Tenzin whispered harshly, "She can't go around just bringing strange boys to the island at her whim!"

"Ikki cleared it with me yesterday, honey. It wasn't even Jinora's idea. Now eat."

"Hmph."

Meanwhile...

"How did you guys meet? How long have you been together? How old are you, Mako? Where are you from? Are you guys gonna get married?"

...the questions came from all sides, over each other and morphed into a big blob of incomprehensible chatter.

"Kids, one at a time," Jinora said.

Question by question, they told their entire cover story and managed to stumble through things like "where is your relationship going?" and "will you be together for a long time?" and eventually the conversation settled into a more pleasant venue of Bolin getting to know the family instead. Unsurprisingly, he was great with Rohan who took an immediate liking to him the moment Bolin told a marble joke (Ro was going through a round-things phase) and Meelo was ecstatic to finally have a "boy" who was not his father (because Daddy was not and had never been a "boy") to talk to about boy stuff. Ikki, on the other hand, was delighted to have someone as fast-talking and curious as she, for once Bolin loosened up, he was quite the male Ikki.

Pema was curious about his family and Bolin mostly told the truth, mentioning his brother for good measure, with a dash of orphan stories to maybe make Tenzin a little sorry for him and less likely to plan a murder. It was impossible to tell whether it was working; the father spent the entire dinner silent and with a slightly constipated look. That and a glare in his eyes.

Once the conversation started rolling, Jinora leaned back and just observed. He was pretty great with her family. A little awkward when he had to pause to remember their cover, but mostly his naturally charismatic and easygoing nature was impossible to love for this particular group of people. Somehow he knew just what to say, but it didn't come out like sucking up. He was genuinely good with kids and her mind started to wander to what little dustbabies would look like-

She caught herself before that thought went any further, but the damage was done. The seed was planted and she was certain that the following night she would be thinking about it. It was going against everything they were trying to achieve, but surely just pondering couldn't hurt... right?

It was that precise moment, looking at Bolin make funny faces with Meelo, that Jinora realized that she loved him. No doubts, no maybes, no ifs. She was certain.

He caught her staring at her with warm smile of this newfound realization and felt like he was in the presence of a goddess. Flawed yet perfect and more beautiful - inside and out - than life itself. Her family was awesome and he was already looking forward to spending more time with them; Rohan's airbending tricks in particular were a sight to see. Jinora was an amazing sister and she had a way of subtly calming everyone down when things started to get heated for whatever reason; she could also manipulate the conversation so that everyone would be happy and not even notice she'd done anything. She cared for others without thought of merit for herself and Bolin had never known anyone like her.

Somewhat taken aback, he realized he, too, was completely in love.

They continued looking at each other amidst the chaos that were the airbender kids and no words were needed. A silent agreement was made to stop looking for the dealbreaker; it would only cause heartbreak at this point. Their hands found each other under the table, conveying the rest of what needed to be understood - from this point on, they were completely together.

Tenzin, still glaring from behind his plate, caught the mute exchange, but before he could object to lovey-dovey eyes in his house, he noticed the softness in both their expressions.

Oh _criminy_, his daughter was in... in _love_.

He continued glaring for another while, but a nudge from his wife helped him realize that while he wasn't fond of his eldest dating... the guy seemed decent and good to her. If it had to be anyone, he supposed it was a good thing it was Mako. But Tenzin didn't trust him and didn't plan on changing that stance anytime soon.

Bolin stayed for a while after dinner, the kids taking him on a tour of the island (he was stunned when Ikki could tell him the exact number of trees on the property), and he was surprised to find out that he was thoroughly enjoying himself; had been all evening after the first ten minutes, in fact. He was glad he'd abandoned his original illness excuses and decided to come; this evening would've been a shame to miss. Especially the late-night stroll through the trees in the moonlight with the girl he was pretty sure had come out of his dreams somehow.

"So tonight wasn't so bad, was it?" Jinora asked when they sat down cross-legged on the cliff.

"Not at all," he agreed, "It was pretty great. You're lucky to have a family like that."

"Yeah, when they're not driving me crazy."

"I suppose I should introduce you to my actual brother Mako now." He laughed. "He's currently in the Fire Nation, though, so that will have to wait. But I'd love for one of my best friends to meet you. Is that something we could arrange?"

"I'm in; just name the time and the date."

"Good. I'll get back to you on that. You realize, though, that if we keep this up, eventually your family will find out who I really am, right?"

"Yes. But you know who should worry about that?"

"Who?"

"Future Jinora and Future Bolin. Right now we're here and we've had a great night and for the first time I feel like this can actually work. So kiss me, Earth Man."

"With pleasure, Air Girl," he said, leaning in, then pulled back, "Are you sure your father can't see us right now?"

She pressed her lips to his in answer, allowing her entire being to be filled with happiness and filling him too. It was the perfect conclusion to the perfect night.

Only Ikki was spying on them from afar (having hoped to get some juicy gossip bits), wondering who the heck was this Bolin fellow and why a relationship both parties so clearly wanted wouldn't be able to work out. Something fishy was going on here and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

But not before taking a few shots of the lovebirds kissing with the new airbending technique she'd invented, which took vibrations from the air and put them on paper with graphite. The result was quite stunning, if she did say so herself. Instant capture of a moment without painstakingly painting for hours. Such a novel idea, wasn't it?


	4. The Next Step

Jinora sat in Bolin's tiny apartment, cross-legged on his bed, doing Fire Nation History homework while he was making his favorite dish. Apparently his brother was the real cook of the family, but ever since he'd gotten an opportunity to spend a year abroad in the Fire Palace, Bolin had been left to fend for himself and he'd found a new appreciation for food.

It was nice to have one place to hide out and be themselves without worrying about who could be listening. This time here was their time alone, cherished ever since Bolin invited Jinora over the day after their night on Air Temple Island when a nagging feeling that _someone_ was watching wouldn't go away.

Jinora being out and about in the city till the wee hours of the morning was nothing new - her parents had learned that she was too responsible and smart for her own good and being out wherever she was actually elevated her grades and performance rather than weighing them down – and so her spending time in places unknown to her parents wasn't a problem, whereas no one checked on Bolin... ever, so everything was set there too.

They spent their time doing whatever pleased the heart – talking, kissing, playing games, sometimes just working on their own things in comfortable silence – and the arrangement had been working very well for the last two weeks. Jinora was slowly acquainting herself with Bolin's apartment, half-feeling at home already. And though she protested at the unfairness of embarking on his territory so while he was barely allowed to step foot in her home, he assured her that having her there was comforting, even if they didn't interact. He'd never lived alone before a few months ago and had had a hard time adjusting, so the presence of another person on a semi-constant basis was welcome. Even better that it was her.

After contemplating the answer for a long time, Jinora accepted it and continued coming over more and more, usually unannounced, liking this game of House.

Tonight, however, their almost-routine would be interrupted by Bolin's friend Skoochy coming over to "meet the girlfriend". Jinora didn't like to admit it, but there was a certain cluster of nerves in her stomach. Bolin was certain they could trust Skoochy with the truth instead of some form of the glorified version they'd given her family and thus he would be the first person to know. She trusted Bolin and his judgment completely, but trusting a guy she had never met nor knew anything about was a bit difficult.

She tried to put it out of her mind for as long as possible to avoid freaking out. She was a bad freak-outer due to her usually calm and collected nature; the contrast twice as hard to take than that of a normal person. So she reread the chronicles of Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku a third time to really let the teachings sink in.

They didn't.

With the coming affair intruding on her mind, trying to concentrate on her studies was a futile endeavor, no matter how engaging the tale. Instead, she set the book down and stared at Bolin's very fine backside, barely blinking for a whole of ten minutes, while he worked on the stove.

_That_ seemed to be working.

She smiled as she cocked her head to the side to get a better view. Up those legs, across that strong back, tracing his wonderfully toned arms... she was nearly as attracted to him physically as she was mentally. That was a first. Usually the physical far surpassed the mental. But considering that in this case the mental attraction was extremely high...

Oh, she just loved the fact that he was hers to ogle. With a sudden shiver she wondered whether he ever looked at her like that. Certain things that happened when they were kissing seemed to suggest so, but maybe he was a little What she wouldn't do to wrap her arms around him right now and drag him to the be-

But alas, a knock on the door drew Jinora out of her fantasies and back out into the real world where possibly making lots of beautiful babies with a teacher years older than oneself was generally frowned upon.

She got off the bed, not quite knowing what to do with herself as Bolin went to answer the door. She ended up half-leaning against a bookshelf, trying to casually smooth her hair while Bolin greeted the young man, maybe a couple years older than her, by making a lot of weird gestures that she guessed were an in-joke between earthbenders.

The newcomer grinned, eyes bright, hair standing up in tufts, and turned his head to see her.

"'Sup, I'm Skoochy."

"Jinora."

"So, Bo, how is it that I'm only hearing about this now?" he asked, hanging up his jacket and brushing a stray orange leaf off it, "From what you told me, seems you two are pretty serious."

"Yes, er, well, it's a little complicated. Why don't you two get to know each other while I finish up here?" he said, heading back into the kitchen corner.

"So, what did you, fair maiden, do to capture Bo's heart?" he asked, winking, "Seriously, I'm curious. Can't remember the last time that happened."

"Oh, I just think we just complement each other."

Silence.

"So how did you guys meet?" Skoochy continued, feeling the awkwardness practically radiate off Jinora and wondering why that was so.

"At a bar."

"Ah."

"What do you do?"

"I'm training for the metalbending force. You?"

"This and that."

"Informative."

"Yes. Bolin, you about done there?" she asked, her voice going up to reach a squeak by the end.

"Yeah, just a minute!"

"Let me help," she said, hurrying off from Skoochy, cheeks the color of a setting sun, "You have to tell him," she whispered fiercely, "He's been here all of two minutes and already it's a disaster. Go explain. _Right now._"

"It should be something we do together-"

"Bolin, I didn't even know the guy's name five minutes ago. Really not sure I need to be there."

"But-"

"I can finish up here, I'm fairly sure I know what to do now. If it helps, I can also smile reassuringly from across the room. Emphasis on the distance. Now go."

Bolin opened his mouth, closed it and pressed his lips to her cheek before walking over to Skoochy who had been watching the exchange with an amused grin.

"What was that about?"

"Er, nothing. Listen, Skooch, there's something I need to tell you. About me and Jinora, I mean."

"Shoot away, bro."

"See, it's a delicate subject and-"

"Mind - totally open," Skoochy assured, "Wait, are you two getting married or something? Is she pregnant? Am I gonna be an honorary uncle?"

"What? No, no, no. No. It's not that. It's, uh... just that our relationship isn't, strictly speaking, ethical."

"What do you mean?"

"See, I teach the earthbending stuff at AUB and she, er... learns it?"

He paused, letting that sink in and gauging Skoochy's expression for any signs of an unwelcome outburst.

"So, let me get this straight: you're dating, like seriously dating, a student? That you personally teach?"

"More or less, yeah. I know I must seem crazy right now, but it's really not that... creepy."

"No, not crazy. Just unusual. So to be clear, is this the same girl that you ditched me for that one night, claiming to be on the verge of love when you finally showed up, and called me completely drunk the next day, screaming about swearing off girls forever?"

"Yes. Yes, that would be the one."

"That conversation suddenly makes a whole lot more sense."

"Doesn't it?" Bolin agreed, chuckling, "I'm in love with her, Skoochy. I mean it. It's a messed-up situation, believe me, I know, but... I can't give it up," he sighed.

"And she...?"

"Feels the same way. We've talked about it extensively, obviously."

"Sarcasm?"

"Nope. Anyway, she's amazing. I think you'd get along well if you got to know each other."

"Maybe," Skoochy mused, watching Jinora put the finishing touches on their dinner and pretend she wasn't listening, "Who else knows? I mean, you at least have the brains to keep it secret, right?"

"Yes, that we do. You're the only one at the moment. Oh, and by the way, if you see any member of the airbender family ever at any point in the near future, my name is Mako and I... you don't know what I do for a living," Bolin said, realizing the glaring plot hole in the cover story he'd told Tenzin and the kids.

"Mako? Seriously?"

"Hey, if needed, I can pretend to be my own twin brother."

"That... would be interesting to see."

"Probably. So... thoughts?"

"None yet. I suppose I should get to know her first, like you said."

* * *

They did not eat in awkward silence, as Jinora had expected.

Yes, there was some initial weirdness and unease, but with Bolin's help, it was smoothly guided in less perilous waters and before they knew it, Jinora and Skoochy were enthusiastically talking without Bo's interference. He'd been right; despite having having almost nothing in common, it translated to them challenging each other rather than constantly being at each other's throat.

It was a connection almost as easily formed as the ones he'd made with her siblings – instant and epic. By the time dinner was done, Jinora and Skoochy were already almost best friends, playfully arguing about what was considered levitation in the bender circles. Bolin leaned back in his chair and observed the oncoming verbal war (which eventually veered into nonsense territory) with a satisfied smirk. There hadn't been any doubt that Skoochy would be on his side, not really (well, okay, a little), but he hadn't expected the two to take such a liking to each other.

Coming from an orphanage that ended in a street life, Skoochy had an innate sense of community. He didn't trust people easily, but he accepted the possibility of being friends with _everyone_. He valued his friends above all else and when life presented a new opportunity... well, he wasn't one to pass it up. As for Jinora, she had grown up in a big family with a large amount of people ever-present in her home, but all either females or very much older males. Having brothers was great, but they were both so much younger than her... She had always longed for an older sibling, someone who would take care of her if required instead of the other way around. Skoochy reminded her of an older, male Ikki and so he fit the role of an older brother perfectly.

Skoochy made a promise to never reveal the pair's secret identities to anyone and after several hours of thought, decided he was rooting for them.

"I like your girl, Bo," he said late in the evening "Hold onto her."

* * *

"Well, that went better than expected," Jinora said after he had gone, wrapping her arms around Bolin's waist.

"Can't exceed what you don't have," he reminded, "But let's not have any more 'meet the friends and family' things anytime soon, shall we?"

"Agreed. This stuff is exhausting," she said, pressing her lips to his and suddenly her fantasy from earlier popped into her head again. One little try couldn't hurt right?

Experimentally, she ran her hands over his toned bottom, nibbling on his ear at the same time. A little jolt, a little gasp and she was hoisted up into the air, their kissing reaching new levels yet again. She was sitting atop the counter, as usual, legs wrapped around him, but this time she wanted a little more. It was unclear why for nothing had really changed, but she needed to take it a step further.

Throwing his shirt on the ground, she let her hands roam free over his chest, exploring like she hadn't had the chance to do yet. He made no move in response, which annoyed her a little bit, but she understood where he was coming from. Neither of them were beginners at relationships or this kind of thing, but with each other... it was completely new territory. Screwing up could be a potential disaster.

Although she couldn't possibly imagine how it could be screwed up when he was kissing her like this. And the bed seemed mighty inviting...

But she hadn't been kidding about the exhaustion. Even excited like this, she could feel her eyelids getting heavier and limbs starting to ache from exertion. A little examination of Bolin indicated he was in a similar state. It was already well past midnight, at all.

With a sigh, she drew back, getting in another few pecks for good measure and untangled herself from him.

"I guess I should go," she said, reluctant as ever when she decided to leave the little apartment which was becoming more and more like home to her with each passing day, "Fire History test tomorrow and everything. Gotta get a good night's sleep, I suppose."

"Yeah, probably," Bolin said, "Although it is already pretty late... doubt it would be possible to get a good rest at this point anyway, especially with the time it takes you to get home."

"It does take a pretty long time," she agreed, mental wheels spinning in full mode.

"This isn't meant to be taken as... whatever," he said, "but you could stay here. If you wanted. Who knows what kind of people wander the city at this time of night."

She could have reminded him that she'd been staying out as late regularly for several years and could take care of herself, but his proposition was too good to pass up.

"That would be very practical," she said.

"I don't have a couch I could move to, though," he said as if this was somehow a disclaimer.

"Don't be silly, that would be very mean on my part. Come on, let's cuddle," she said, taking his hand and leading him off.

And though this next step wasn't exactly the one she wanted (that she was planning on extensively planning out getting in the near future), it was still a step forward and a great one at that.

The next morning she woke up more rested than she'd felt in months.


End file.
